The Body And Arms Concept That Fixes Most Bad Backswings!
Shaun Webb and Mike Granato from Athletic Motion Golf explain why proper backswings require both body rotation (the merry-go-round) and independent arm lift (the Ferris wheel). Using GEARS 3D motion capture, they demonstrate how restricting arm lift with drills like towel-under-the-arms causes golfers to lower their arms relative to the chest and lose distance. They compare amateur arm movements against top PGA Tour distance leaders and share calibration feels for consistent backswing depth.
The body turns like a merry-go-round while the arms lift like a Ferris wheel on independent planes.
Restricting arm lift forces the body to overturn or compensate with erratic hoisting moves to gain backswing height.
99% of tour pros independently lift their upper arms relative to their torso in the backswing.
Proper arm lift creates space and width, making shallowing the club on the downswing much easier.
Calibrate your arm lift feel daily between extremes to account for day-to-day body flexibility changes.